Van de Putte joins 2014 race for lieutenant governor

Updated 11:44 am, Saturday, November 23, 2013

SAN ANTONIO — State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is running for lieutenant governor in 2014, with hopes of being the first Latina in that office.

The San Antonio Democrat made it official Saturday morning. She told 700 supporters at a rally at San Antonio College that she wants to lead the state along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis of Fort Worth.

Van de Putte, 58, served in the Texas House from 1990-99 and in the Senate since 1999, representing District 26 on the Northwest, West and Northeast sides. She does not have to surrender her Senate seat to run for statewide office.

If she prevails in the March Democratic primary — no other candidates have emerged in her party — Van de Putte would compete in November 2014 with the victor of the GOP primary. That tussle includes Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, state Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.

“It gets whackier every day,” Van de Putte said of the GOP race.

“While they wage their war on women, they've cut funding and closed the clinics Texas women relied on for the only preventive health care they could afford. Doesn't Texas deserve better than that?” she said, drawing roars of approval.